


Triaxiality

by achievemenhunter



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2014-05-04
Packaged: 2018-01-21 21:55:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1565405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/achievemenhunter/pseuds/achievemenhunter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin confesses to the other Lads that he has feelings for Ryan, which is a problem because Ray and Michael both have feelings for the Gent as well. Their mutual desire sparks a competition of sorts, and winner takes all.</p><p>Or does he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Triaxiality

**Author's Note:**

> Another giveaway fic, this one's for bloom5902 over on tumblr. This one was fun. :)

"Guys, I need to talk to you about something." Gavin glanced nervously over his shoulder to make sure no one else was listening. He leaned in, avoiding eye contact with the two other Lads and nervously knotting his fingers together. "I like Ryan," he said in a low rush, staring at a small stain on the sleeve of Ray's shirt.

 

They were all silent for a moment.

 

"...As in, _like_ like?" Michael said slowly after the pause, reverting to middle school terminology in his surprise.

 

Gavin nodded tersely. "Please don't make fun of me- I just, I needed to tell someone, and I figured you guys would relate best because you know him as well as I do."

 

"Oh, we relate alright," Michael continued in the same measured tone. "Actually, it's going to be a bit of a problem, because I like him too."

 

"I'm going to have to second that," Ray added.

 

A shocked pair of green eyes met two serious sets of brown ones.

 

"Wait, _really_?"

 

"Is it really that hard to believe? You've met him, haven't you? 'Course you have, that's why you like him."

 

"So... What do we do about this, then?"

 

Another silence, and Ray shrugged hesitantly. "I dunno. We could just go ask him if he likes any of us, but that'd probably just make things kinda awkward."

 

"We could do a contest or something," Gavin suggested.

 

"A _contest_? What the fuck's that supposed to mean?"

 

"Yeah, a contest!" Gavin enthused, warming to his theme. "All of us, we'll each try our best to get Ryan to be all affectionate and stuff. After a month, whoever's gotten him to be the most lovey wins."

 

"Wins what?" Michael snorted.

 

"Getting to ask Ryan out."

 

"And what if he says no?"

 

"Well, we'll figure that out when we get there!"

 

"I'm in," Ray interjected before they could get into a full-blown argument. "I mean, even if none of us end up with him, should still be fun."

 

Gavin grinned victoriously. "How 'bout you, then, Michael? Or you too scared one of us'll beat you?"

 

"No. I think it's fucking dumb, that's why I'm not doing it. You two go ahead and make idiots out of yourselves."

 

"Ah, he's totally scared. The R and R connection is too strong," Ray quipped. "Even Gavin's got Love and Stuff or whatever. Crazy Mad just doesn't fit."

 

"Alright, fuck you guys," Michael scowled. "I'm in. And by the way, I'm going to kick both your asses."

 

~* * *~

 

All three of them laid down some ground rules.

 

If at any point Ryan seemed awkward about the way one of them was acting towards him, they immediately had to stop. After all, it would be more than a little counterintuitive to make Ryan uncomfortable in their presence.

 

If Ryan called one of them out on their behaviour and asked for it to stop, that person was automatically disqualified from the contest.

 

If one of them was working at getting Ryan to show affection, the others couldn't interrupt. They knew themselves well enough to know if that rule wasn't in place, they'd probably just end up yelling and shoving each other out of the way, and they didn't want to be completely obvious.

 

Surprisingly, all three of them only attempted small things for the first few weeks. Maybe because being able to orchestrate scenarios where they could be overly affectionate with Ryan without being too obvious was actually a lot harder than they'd thought, but ten days into the bet, Ray was winning with nothing more than Ryan leaning against his back as he fixed the Hispanic man's 'computer problems'. The other Lads had rolled their eyes at the shameless way that Ray had pressed himself back against Ryan, voice low as he murmured that he understood what the older man was telling him to do if his computer acted up like that again. Then, of course, their brains started to work furiously to find a way to top Ray.

 

Michael got there before Gavin when the next VS was Ryan challenging Michael. The auburn-haired man positioned himself as close to Ryan as was reasonable, and he was rewarded by Ryan putting his hands on Michael's shoulders, holding the VS game against his chest. He had to fight to keep the smug grin off his face, just as Gavin and Ray had to hide their scowls. To make things even better, Michael beat Ryan, so the other Lads no longer had the option of doing something with VS.

 

With two weeks left, Gavin suddenly and unexpectedly shot into the lead. Team Lads Action News Team was at it again, having just dashed over from the main office to the Annex. As they emerged, the trio spotted Ryan getting out of his car with a bag of fast food.

 

"Hi, Ryan!" Gavin yelled across the carpark, waving goofily as the man turned towards them. Deciding to show off a little, Gavin took a small run-up and slid across the bonnet of Geoff's car. The movement wasn't as graceful as he'd hoped, however, and he overbalanced just as his feet hit the ground.

 

Gavin's leg twisted sideways suddenly, his face contorting with pain. He let out an agonised cry and clumsily threw out his hands as he fell, accidentally catching the microphone cord on his arm and landing heavily on his side. The camera clattered onto the asphalt, coming to rest with the lens pointed in Gavin's general direction.

 

"Fuck, Gavin, you okay?" Michael turned to him with concern as Ray quickly helped the Brit disentangle himself from the microphone cord.

 

"I'm fine, I just- argh!" He tried to stand, but his leg gave way immediately.

 

Ryan jogged over to them, an alarmed expression on his face. "What happened?"

 

"Landed funny when I tried to slide across Geoff's car," Gavin replied through gritted teeth as the two other Lads helped him to his feet. He hissed in pain every time his ankle moved even the slightest. Ray and Michael tried to get him to hobble across the carpark, but they staggered precariously when they had to support Gavin's weight on the second step. Ryan darted forward to stop them from losing their balance.

 

"Why don't you let me take him?"

 

Gavin bit his lip and nodded, white-faced. "Sounds good. Can you carry me?"

 

Ryan smiled reassuringly. "I was planning to. Better than having you limp to the building." He anchored one arm under Gavin's armpits and other behind Gavin's knees, and the Brit's arms immediately went around Ryan's neck as the older man lifted him off the ground, grunting slightly as he straightened. Carefully, he shifted Gavin so that he was a little easier to carry, cradling the younger man bridal style against his chest, and headed towards the office, oblivious to the dumbstruck Michael standing behind him.

 

Ray crouched down in front of the camera, quickly rattling off the closing, "Team Lads Action News Team out!" before scooping the recording device up off the ground and ending the video. He trotted over to Michael and nudged against his shoulder as an unspoken suggestion to get moving.

 

"That son of a bitch." Michael shook his head disbelievingly as they walked to the building. "How the fuck did he turn that around so quickly?"

 

~* * *~

 

Michael ended up taking the lead again by nearly getting run over by a runaway delivery truck. He'd been talking with Ryan, cockily walking backwards with his hands in his pockets, when suddenly a horn blared right on top of him. His eyes went wide at the sight of the truck barrelling towards him, and if Ryan hadn't immediately grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the trucks' path, he almost definitely would have been hit. And, seeing as the truck had hit the downhill slope of the driveway and gathered some speed, he probably would have been injured, maybe even severely.

 

"Holy shit," he said unsteadily as the truck driver stopped stamping futilely on the malfunctioning brake pedal and heaved on the emergency brake, the truck screeching and howling as it came to a gradual stop where the driveway dipped and met the road. "Holy shit. Holy fucking shit."

 

Ryan sensed just how shaken the younger man was by his close call, and drew Michael into his arms, holding the trembling body close to try and still the tremors racking the red-haired man. Michael slowly relaxed into Ryan's arms, letting the hand rubbing his back soothe him.

 

"Christ, I'm so sorry, you two alright?" The truck driver jogged around the front of his vehicle, wringing his hands with anxiety.

 

Michael pulled away, forcing himself to calm down. "We're fine. Just go get that truck fixed, yeah?"

 

"I will. Again, I'm really sorry, I don't know how this happened! Truck's not due for a service for another four months."

 

"Well, the important thing is no-one was actually hurt, thank god. C'mon, Michael, the others are probably wondering where we've got to." Ryan placed his hand against the small of Michael's back and steered him towards the office. Even if Michael hadn't been attracted to Ryan, he probably would have appreciated the warm, solid presence of the older man's hand, and the fact that Ryan was so caring just by nature made him fall in love all the more.

 

~* * *~

 

Gavin grinned to himself as he hefted the cardboard box in his arms. There was less than a week left of the bet, and both Ray and Gavin had been struggling to find something better than Ryan saving their life. But now, Gavin had the perfect plan.

 

Geoff eyed his grin with trepidation. "Look, Gavin, I get that you're excited that the company Christmas party is here instead of Burnie's this year - fuck knows why - but did you really need to get so much mistletoe?"

 

Gavin nodded emphatically as Griffon wandered up behind them, another box of decorations in her hands. "Oh, come on Geoff, let him have this. Besides, it should be pretty funny."

 

"Exactly! I mean, I know a lot of people will probably ignore them, but we should still get a good laugh."

 

"Oh, is that why you got them?" Geoff arched his eyebrows. "Silly me, I thought it had something to do with some sort of competition you and the Lads are having revolving around a certain Achievement Hunter that doesn't have his own desk."

 

Gavin nearly dropped the box. "What?" he squawked. "Did Michael tell you?"

 

"Figured it out on my own. I'm a fucking genius like that." Gavin continued to make noises. "C'mon, you three were being _pretty_ obvious. You were practically throwing yourselves at him every chance you got. Poor bastard's probably confused as fuck, if he's not appreciating the attention."

 

The Brit shuffled the box awkwardly. "You're not mad?" he asked in a small voice.

 

"Nah, I'm not mad. It's your romantic life, you can do whatever you want. I'm a little concerned about the sudden influx of gay in the office, though. It's more than half of you, if Ryan feels the same way. It's a fuckin' epidemic."

 

"Oh, stop teasing him," Griffon swatted at her husband's arm. "I think it's sweet that he's going to some effort to impress Ryan. Stop being such a Scrooge, it's Christmas."

 

"It's the 9th, it's not Christmas," Geoff muttered. "It's practically Halloween, still."

 

"Geoff..."

 

"Bah humbug," he grumbled, giving her a peck on the cheek and sighing. "Okay, Gav, you can put up the mistletoe. Just try not to fall off the stepladder."

 

~* * *~

 

Anticipation buzzed in his veins, along with a small amount of alcohol. He'd wanted to remain pretty sober for this, but he acted like he was already well on his way to tipsy.

 

"Michael!" he called happily, spotting the redhead chatting to Ray, who, as usual, was holding a cup of water. He hurtled towards them like an excited tornado, grinning as he saw they were both under one of the many mistletoes Gavin had hung around the house. He immediately grabbed Michael's face, smushing his cheeks together and giving the man a big, drunken kiss. Before Michael could react, Gavin let him go and did the same thing to Ray.

 

"Dude, what the fuck!"

 

Gavin grinned and pointed up. "Mistletoe!" he yelled, darting away as they looked at the small plant dangling from the ceiling.

 

"Griffon! Mistletoe!" Griffon smiled at him good-naturedly and gave him a quick peck on the lips. By now, most people in the room had noticed Gavin's antics, and several had stepped surreptitiously out from underneath the little green bundles.

 

"That motherfucker," Michael muttered as he realised Gavin's plan.

 

Gavin's eyes zeroed in on his next target, and he bounded across the room. "Rye-Bread, you're under the mistletoe!" he sang, grinning at the older man. Ryan let Gavin draw him into a kiss that lasted a second or two longer than necessary, and then Gavin was rushing off again, pouncing on Barbara as she talked to Miles and Arryn. Ryan's gaze followed the Brit with an amused smirk as a shout of "Gavin, what the fuck are you doing?" and the enthusiastic reply of, "Mistletoe!" drifted back to him.

 

~* * *~

 

Michael scowled, nursing his beer. He hadn't actually drunk that much, even though he was pissed off enough to want to. Both he and Ray were now in the garden, putting their heads together to try and find a way to beat Gavin's stunt with the mistletoe, but even with one sober and one almost-sober mind, they were coming up empty.

 

Their heads turned at the sound of Gavin giggling.

 

"C'mon, Ryan, you always say that you're interested in my slo-mo stuff." He tugged on the older man's hand, and Ryan followed him obediently to the little residency that Gavin occupied at the bottom of the garden.

 

"Yeah, but d'you really think _now's_ the best time to be showing me?" Ryan raised a sceptical eyebrow at him. "You're kinda drunk, you know."

 

"I'm not that drunk!" Gavin protested, flicking through the keys on his key-ring and, to his credit, was able to get the key in the lock on the first try. "You just think that because you're not drinking."

 

Ryan laughed and allowed himself to be pulled inside. Gavin flicked on the light, and Ryan's eyes immediately caught on the small green sprig hanging from the ceiling just in front of them.

 

"Gavin, what-"

 

"Mistletoe," Gavin whispered, pushing Ryan up against the wall and kissing him.

 

"Starting without us, Gavin?" Michael said loudly as he pushed the door open, Ray close behind him.

 

"Michael! Ray! You're ruining things!" Gavin whined. "And you're interrupting!" he added suddenly, pointing an accusatory finger at Michael. "You can't do that, that was one of the rules!"

 

Ryan looked between the three of them, thoroughly confused. "Can one of you please explain what's going on? Don't get me wrong, all the attention you guys have been giving me has been flattering - more than flattering - but I've been at my wit's end trying to figure out what you want from me!"

 

They blinked at him. "We all like you. As in, a lot. So we decided to have a competition, and whoever could get you to show them the most affection after a month got to ask you out."

 

Ryan blinked back. "Really?"

 

Michael's brow furrowed. "Well, yeah. Why're you so surprised about that?"

 

Ryan waved his arms around. "I don't know, maybe because you're three very attractive younger men, with wonderful personalities, and you could easily do much better than me?"

 

This was met with immediate indignation.

 

"What the fuck, have you _seen_ yourself, who wouldn't want-"

 

"Seriously? How can you think-"

 

"God, there's so many reasons to want you, why d'you think all three of us-"

 

"Let's see, you're really smart-"

 

"Look at your fucking shoulders and arms, for Christ's sake-"

 

"You're really easy to talk to-"

 

"And you've got that stupid attractive face and those goddamn eyebrows-"

 

"Whoa, okay!" Ryan held up his hands in mock-surrender. "I'm... I'm honestly not sure what to say here. Uh... Can you help me out with what to say here?"

 

"How 'bout you choose?" Gavin suggested.

 

"Choose?"

 

"Yeah, choose which of us you want to date. I mean, competition's kinda over now that you know about it." He paused, waiting for Ryan to answer, but the older man was too dumbfounded so Gavin added. "You can choose none of us, if you don't swing that way." He smirked. "Though I think the way you were kissing me back a couple minutes ago kinda throws that one out the window." Ryan continued to stare. Gavin wondered briefly if they'd broken him.

 

"Do I really have to choose?" Ryan asked after a few more seconds.

 

"Well, yeah, that's kinda the point, Ryan."

 

"Can't I choose... all of you?" he offered hesitantly.

 

" _All_ of us?" Gavin replied incredulously.

 

"I don't want to seem greedy, but... Honestly, I like all of you, and all of you like me, so, why not?" His voice grew in confidence as he spoke.

 

"Why not?" Gavin spluttered almost on instinct, but then as no words formed in his mouth to follow, he actually thought about it. He reasoned that he obviously enjoyed Michael and Ray's company, and it wasn't entirely impossible that that affection could run deeper. He nodded. "Yeah, why not."

 

Michael and Ray both followed similar veins of logic and arrived at the same conclusion.

 

A relieved smile touched Ryan's lips, his head still reeling a little. "Well, that was... something. Glad we got it figured out." Silence fell for a few awkward seconds. "So, uh... How're we going to go about this?"

 

The Lads paused, exchanged a glance, nodded, and, in unison, tackled Ryan onto Gavin's bed, the older man disappearing into a laughing tangle of limbs.


End file.
